Beef Barley Soup

The Inspiration…

My husband really enjoys beef barley soup. I tried a few recipes, but I felt like they were either bland, or tasted like I was eating a bowl of gravy. Don’t get me wrong, you know how much I love my gravy. But I don’t want to eat it like soup!! I was left to develop my own recipe; taking the flavors I enjoy in other beef dishes and incorporating them into this flavorful, rich soup.

Instantly flavors like thyme, rosemary, red wine, and rich tomato paste came to mind. So that’s where I started. I’ve honed this recipe over the last couple years, and I think I’ve found the winning combination. The broth is rich and velvety, filled with hearty chunks of vegetables and tender beef. I recommend that you pair this with my Cheesy Scallion Drop Biscuits to make the perfect meal on a chilly night!

Start this soup by preparing your chuck steak. This cut of meat can tend to have a lot of fat. While you want to trim off any large, hard pieces of the fat, the marbling throughout the meat you use will provide great flavor. #fatequalsflavor

Once the meat has been trimmed and cut into small pieces, you will season it with salt, and then toss in flour. The flour will caramelize quickly when you cook it, providing a deeper color and flavor to the soup. It will also help to thicken up the broth slightly. I’ve used both wheat and all-purpose flour for this recipe. They both work nicely, but the wheat flour gives the broth a little more body in my opinion. Cook the meat in a soup pot with the olive oil for a few minutes on each side, until you see that nice, caramelized color. You don’t want to cook the beef all the way through. Remove from the pot and set aside.

Now you can get your vegetables going in that same pot. Add in the herbs and cook until they are fragrant. Then you can add in your wine and beef stock.

Pro tip: I like to keep a few 250ml bottles of wine on hand. They are the perfect amount for adding into recipes, with enough left over for a glass with dinner!

Add in the remaining ingredients and let this soup simmer for about 30 minutes, until the barley is tender.

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Beef Barley Soup

Yield: 6-8

Author: Julia Goodrich

Prep time: 15 MinTotal time: 15 Min

This rich, velvety soup is the comfort food you've been craving! Flavors like rosemary, thyme, oregano, and red wine come together to form the perfect dinner on a chilly winter night.

Ingredients

• 1-2 lb chuck steak, trimmed and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1/3 cup wheat flour*
• 1 onion, diced
• 2-3 carrots, diced
• 2-3 celery stalks, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 3 tsp salt, divided
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 cup red wine
• 5 cups beef broth
• 3 TBSP tomato paste
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 cup barley
• 1 TBSP cornstarch mixed with 2 TBSP water (optional)

Instructions

1. Start by prepping your meat. Take your chuck steak and trim off any large, hard areas of fat. Then cut the meat remaining into small (approximately 1/4 - 1/2 Inch pieces). Season meat with 1 tsp salt, then toss the meat in the wheat until covered evenly (or all-purpose flour) and set aside.
2. Heat your olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and then add the meat. Cook the meat for about 3 minutes on each side. You don't want the meat to cook all the way through. Just a sear on each side. Remove the pot and set aside. You will have some nice caramelized brown bits on the bottom of the pot.
3. Next get your onion, carrots, celery, garlic to the pot. Add in your rosemary, thyme, oregano, and remaining salt. Cook for a minute until it becomes fragrant.
4. Pour in the red wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape all of those brown bits off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Let that reduce for about 3 minutes.
5. Add in the beef broth, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, barley, and the cooked meat. Simmer for about 30 minutes, until the barley is tender. Stir occasionally to keep things from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
6. If you prefer your soup to have a little more body to it, add the cornstarch slurry (1 TBSP cornstarch mixed with 2 TBSP water). Cook for another 5 minutes until it has thickened.

Notes

*You can substitute all-purpose flour for the wheat flour if you prefer.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

435.66

Fat

13.63

Sat. Fat

4.24

Carbs

40.55

Fiber

8.54

Net carbs

32.01

Sugar

6.53

Protein

33.03

Sodium

2169.16

Cholesterol

78.25

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.

soup, beef, barley, herbs, thyme, oregano, rosemary, red wine,

Dinner, Soup, beef